I have told you all before how important drinking a lot of water is for your body and skin. Your body does not function as well because the water is not flushing out your organs, and a dehydrated body shows up on your skin and makes you look sallow, pale and can exaggerate dry skin. I recently realized that I do not drink nearly enough water and need to really up my intake. While I don’t mind drinking the occasional glass of water if I am thirsty I find it quite hard to drink a lot of water throughout the day. I have found a few ways to get the water in and feel satisfied.
First of all it is good to start your day with a nice tall glass of water. You have been sleeping for the past 8 hours (hopefully) and therefore have not had any liquids for probably longer than that. It’s a great way to rehydrate and start your day with a serving or two of water.
Before each meal try to drink a glass or two of water. This is not only good because it gets in some more water, but because sometimes you can mistake thirst for hunger so the water will help to fill you up and you will therefore eat less than you would otherwise.
If you really find water unpalatable you can squeeze some fresh lemon or other citrus fruits into it, or prepare a pitcher each morning filled with water with slices of cucumber or berries to give it a nice, natural flavor. I have also heard of some people crushing up fresh mint leaves and adding it to their water.
A good baseline is to have the equivalent of 8 large glasses of water a day. Natural juices (those without added sugar) can count as up to 2 servings of your intake. If you are a heavy coffee or tea drinker – more than one or two a day –, or drink soda, you need to have an extra glass of water for each of these you drink as these are considered diuretics and can cause dehydration if you don’t replenish your fluid.
Whatever method you choose to get in your daily water, drinking several glasses throughout the day or keeping a bottle with you and sipping it constantly, remember it is extremely important to drink your water!